John Salzman

OTD March 29, 2014. Homer & Joey’s Louisville. Cincinnati Reds head north for 2014 season & stop off at Slugger Field for exhibition v. Louisville Bats. Homer Bailey on mound, tossed MLB no-hitters in 2012-13. Joey Votto at first, National League MVP in 2010. Weather, bit brisk.

OTD March 29, 1980. Golden Chance for Major Smiles. At Latonia Race Course, Golden Chance Farm wins both divisions of $50,000 Spiral Stakes. It's trainer Smiley Adams 6th & 7th straight wins in Derby prep having won split divisions in 1977 & 1978, along w/single score in '79.

OTD March 29, 1997. The Boss at Turfway Park. George Steinbrenner's Concerto wins $500k Jim Beam Stakes. He takes 5-race win streak to Louisville, but runs 9th in '97 Derby (Silver Charm). Race prior to Beam sees now-5yo Gal in a Ruckus ('95 KY Oaks winner) make her final start.

OTD March 29, 1975. Shattered. #1 UCLA has won 10 of previous 12 national titles. UofL comes into Final Four matchup at San Diego Sport Arena w/27-2 mark. Up 4 pts w/less than minute to go, Cards lose in 75-74 in OT. Allen Murphy game-high 33 pts. Junior Bridgeman 12 pts, 15 reb.

OTD March 29, 1986. Camden Connects. Billy Thompson & Milt Wagner each w/22 pts as Louisville beats LSU 88-77 at Final Four in Dallas. Next up #1 Duke. Thompson & Wagner, Camden NJ natives, will go onto win not only '86 national title, but also '88 NBA title w/Los Angeles Lakers.

OTD March 29, 2013. Duck Soup at Lucas Oil. In Sweet 16, Russ Smith goes for career-high 31 points, but it's reserve Kevin Ware that comes up big late w/his own career-high 11 points as Cards beat Oregon 77-69 before 35,520 in Indianapolis. Title-bound Cards now 32-5.

OTD March 28, 1950. CCNY. Ten days after beating #1 Bradley to win NIT at Madison Square Garden, CCNY beats Bradley again at The Gardens to win NCAA Tourney. CCNY w/two Black & 3 Jewish starters. Only school to win both titles same year. Gambling scandal later consumes program.

OTD March 28, 1963. J-E-T-S. Jets, Jets, Jets. Founding member of AFL in 1960, New York Titans near bankruptcy in 1963. Sonny Werblin buys for $1 million. With team moving from badly aging Polo Grounds to Shea Stadium (near LaGuardia Airport) soon, Titans renamed New York Jets.

OTD March 28, 1982. Ten years after Title IX begins...and 43 years after hosting its first Men's basketball tournament...NCAA holds its first-ever Women's basketball championship. In Norfolk VA, Louisiana Tech claims inaugural title over Cheyney (HBCU school in Pennsylvania).

OTD March 28, 1984. Night Moves. Bob Irsay, owner of Baltimore Colts, moves team to Indianapolis w/out any public announcement. Irsay hires movers to pack up team offices in Maryland middle of night while Baltimore sleeps. Irsay had wanted updates to Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.

OTD March 28, 1981. Mythical Ruler. Wins $50,000 Spiral Stakes at Latonia w/18yo Kevin Wirth up for father Fred. Initially excluded from 20-horse KY Derby field, lawsuit allows him (& Flying Nashua) to run. In 5 yrs racing, wins 17x, incl. 3 stakes + Stepping Stone at Churchill.

OTD March 28, 1992. Lil E Tee. Future Kentucky Derby winner gets first stakes win in $500,000 Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway Park. Pat Day up. Lil E. Tee runs second to Pine Bluff three weeks later in Arkansas Derby before stunning '92 Derby (& then-super horse Arazi) at 16-1 odds.

OTD March 28, 2018. Weeping & Gnashing of Teeth to Come. After nine seasons at Xavier, Chris Mack named Louisville’s third full-time coach since 1971. At XU, Mack guided Musketeers to 215-97 record & eight NCAA Tournament appearances. He'll walk away from U of L after 3 1/2 yrs.

OTD March 27, 1890. Deadly Day. Spring tornado in Louisville kills 76 city residents in one of most deadly tornado events in US history. Falls City Hall (West Market Street) collapses, burying 200 people, 44 will die. Union rail depot on Seventh Street completely collapses too.

OTD March 27, 2009. Two & Done. After losing to Notre Dame in NIT, Kentucky fires Billy Gillispie. He goes 40-27 in two years at UK, including 22-14 in second & final season in Lexington. On Gillispie's final senior night in Lexington, Cats lost to woeful Georgia (2-13 in SEC).

OTD March 27, 1976. Inca Roca. Wins fifth running of $31,300 Spiral Stakes at Latonia. Runs seventh to Bold Forbes in '76 Derby. Makes history as one of few to achieve Kentucky racing "Grand Slam" w/stakes wins at Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Latonia (Turfway) & Ellis Park.

OTD March 27, 1993. Prairie Bayou. With Chris McCarron up, Prairie Bayou wins $600k Jim Beam Stakes at Turfway. Wild Gale 2nd, Awad 4th in one of race's strongest renewals. Bayou runs 2nd as favorite (to Sea Hero) in Derby, wins Preakness before suffering fatal injury in Belmont.

OTD March 27, 2010. Dean’s Kitten. At Turfway Park, wins $500,000 Lane's End Stakes at 6-1 w/Cornelio Velasquez aboard for trainer Mike Maker. Next out 14th to Super Saver in Kentucky Derby. Wins four of 24 lifetime starts, third in 2011 Arlington Million.

OTD March 27, 1982. Battle of New Orleans. For fourth time in first 11 seasons, Denny Crum's Cards in Final Four. Matched up v. Georgetown Hoyas & Patrick Ewing in Superdome. G'town wins bruising defensive battle 50-46. Cards roster features seven future NBA'ers + one NFL'er too.

OTD March 27, 2008. Elite. Louisville routs Bruce Pearl's 2-seed Tennessee 79-60 in Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament game in Charlotte NC. Earl Clark w/game-high 17 points, 12 rebounds. Terrence Williams w/12 points, 8 rebounds. UT's "best season in history" season ends w/31-5 record.